Peter Jackson is finally speaking about the long-running controversy involving Ryan Gosling and his departure from The Lovely Bones nearly two decades ago.

During a career retrospective at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, Jackson was asked about Gosling's past claim that he gained 60 pounds for the movie before being removed from the project.

While the Oscar-winning director avoided criticizing the actor directly, he admitted that recasting decisions usually reflect mistakes made by filmmakers.

"Anytime we recast an actor, it's actually our fault because we didn't get the casting right," Jackson explained. "It's not because they did anything wrong."

Gosling was originally cast to play the grieving father in the 2009 film, a role that later went to Mark Wahlberg.

In a 2010 interview, Gosling said he purposely gained weight because he believed the character should look different. However, he later admitted he and the filmmakers were not on the same page about the role.

"I just showed up on set, and I had gotten it wrong," Gosling previously said. "Then I was fat and unemployed."

At Cannes, Jackson said filmmaking is complicated and depends heavily on chemistry between actors, directors, and the story itself. According to People, he noted that sometimes even strong actors are not the right fit for a role.

"Ryan is a fantastic actor, as we know," Jackson said. "Films are a chemistry."

Peter Jackson Discusses The Lovely Bones Recasting

The director also explained that casting choices involve many moving parts behind the scenes. According to Jackson, it is not always easy to predict how an actor will fit into a movie until production is already underway.

"It's a complicated sort of amalgam," he added. "Occasionally we make our own mistakes."

"The Lovely Bones," based on Alice Sebold's bestselling novel, starred Saoirse Ronan as a murdered teenager watching over her family from the afterlife. The movie also featured Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and Michael Imperioli.

Jackson's longtime collaborator, Fran Walsh, previously shared that Gosling himself had concerns about being too young for the father role before filming began. She said both sides eventually realized the casting was not working as planned.

Jackson attended Cannes this year to receive an honorary Palme d'Or recognizing his contributions to filmmaking, HeadlineSociety reported. He also revealed he is developing a new "Adventures of Tintin" movie and helping produce upcoming "Lord of the Rings" films.

Tags
Peter jackson, Ryan gosling